His Lordship had a great idea – for once. He suggested we take the train to Plzeň (a good hour away) rather than driving there. Good plan: time to enjoy the scenery in comfort, arriving directly in the city centre, no parking challenges and all for only 8 euros per return ticket.

We enjoyed our stroll around town, taking in the impressive architecture … and meeting the locals.

The highlights for us included the Great Synagogue, the third largest synagogue in the world, built in 1892, the Old Town Hall, dating from the 16^th century (hence the name, perhaps?) and St. Bartholomew Church, a gothic giant, slap bang in the middle of the main square, surrounded by cool modern fountains.

By mid-afternoon, there was no avoiding the inevitable: a visit to the Pilsner Urquell Brewery. The tour was brilliant and I even got to ride on the beer bus!

Her Ladyship got all excited when we were taken to the bottling plant. She’s weird. (In case you haven’t realised it already). She’s got a thing about heavy machinery and I thought we’d never get her out of there again. It was only when our guide mentioned that we’d later be invited to a tasting that she finally made a move back to the bus, muttering, ‘120,000 bottles an hour!’, ‘70 minutes per bottle from cleaning to refilling!’…

Whatever turns you on.

His Lordship and I were more impressed by the brew house: the shiny copper brewing kettles, the enormous wooden barrels formerly used for fermentation and maturation, the seemingly endless labyrinth of cellars underneath the brewery… and of course, the finished product itself. We were each treated to a glass of unfiltered, unpasteurised beer, tapped straight from the barrel. Delicious!

At one point during the tour, a man who looked about 60, hurried past our group. Our guide told us that this man has been working in the brewery for 64 years. He is actually 81 years old. ‘He loves his work’, she said. ‘And he loves the beer.’

There’s job satisfaction for you.

Talk about getting into hot water! The next day we finally made it to Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad), the largest of the famous trio of spas. I hadn’t realised that the springs here are thermal springs, ranging from about 15 degrees to over 72 degrees centigrade. You certainly need your ceramic sipping cup. A plastic cup would melt at these temperatures. As for the taste… I’m sure the springs are all very healthy but let’s just say they’re not my cup of tea!

The French architect, Le Corbusier supposedly said, rather disparagingly, that Karlovy Vary is like a ‘display of cakes’. It is certainly quite overwhelming, an almost over the top display of splendour. Unlike many towns that have wonderful old centres but are otherwise quite nondescript, the stunning architecture here goes on and on, right to the outskirts.

The glamour of Karlovy Vary is a magnet for the rich and famous. Look who was here! Parts of the James Bond movie ‘Casino Royale’ were apparently filmed on location in Grandhotel Pupp.

Definitely a spot for top dogs.